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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

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>  -•      '        v  \ 

Class  , 


I      :,iUM, 

RADiOACn.  ::-  TANCES 

AND  AL-; '  :: ! 

:      ;  -he  Same 


METZENBAt':'-^  K.  i.. 


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RADIUM, 

RADIOACTIVE  SUBSTANCES 
AND  ALUMINUM 

with   Experimental   Research  of  the  Same 


BY 


MYRON  METZENBAUM,  B.  S.,  M.  D. 

\\ 

CLEVELAND,  O. 


SECOND  EDITION 

BABBITT  &  CRUMMELL  CO., 

CLEVELAND,  O. 

1904. 


The  paper  on  Induced  Radioactivity  and  Aluminum 
appeared  in  the  Scientific  American,  May  14th,  1904. 

The  other  part  of  this  monograph  appeared  in  The 
Cleveland  Medical  Journal,  May,  1904. 


COPYRIGHTED    BY 

MYRON  METZENBAUM,  M.  D. 
1904 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  } 

OF 


Exhibition  typifying-  results  of  experiments  with  Radium,  Thorium,  Uranium,  Zirconium, 
Yttrium,  Aluminum  and  Cork  on  photographic  plates  in  the  dark.  At  the  Scientific  Exhibit  of 
the  Ohio  State  Medical  Association  at  Cleveland,  O.,  May  18-20th,  1904,  and  at  the  Scientific  Ex- 
hibit of  the  American  Medical  Association,  Atlantic  City  June  7-10th  1904. 


[MONOGRAPH.] 


Radium,     Radioactive    Substances    and    Aluminum 
with  Experimental  Research  of  the  Same 

BY  MYRON  METZENBAUM,  B.  S.,  M.  D.,  CLEVELAND,   O. 

Assistant  in  the  Department  of  Anatomy  of  the  Cleveland  College  of  Physicians 

and   Surgeons 

History:  Following  the  discovery  of  the  X-rays,  the  entire 
scientific  world,  turned  its  attention  to  the  seeking  of  new  forms  of 
light.  In  February,  1896,  M.  Henri,  of  Paris,  showed  that  if  zinc 
sulphid  be  exposed  to  the  sunlight  so  as  to  render  it  phosphor- 
escent, that  it  could  be  sprinkled  on  a  photographic  plate,  which 
was  first  covered  with  black  paper,  and  that  the  plate  would  be 
affected  just  as  if  it  had  been  exposed  to  the  X-rays. 

Following  this  announcement  Professor  H.  Becquerel,  of 
the  Institute  of  France,  commenced  a  systematic  investigation  of 
phosphorescent  substances  on  photographic  plates,  which  were 
first  covered  with  black  paper.  A  plate  thus  covered  with  black 
paper  may  be  exposed  to  the  sunlight  for  24  hours  without  being 
affected. 

In  the  course  of  his  research,  he  exposed  the  various  ura- 
nium salts  on  the  covered  plates  and  allowed  the  sun  to  act  upon 
them.  This  showed  that  under  the  uranium  crystals  the  photo- 
graphic plates  were  affected  just  the  same  as  if  they  had  been 
exposed  to  the  sunlight. 

On  one  occasion  the  weather  being  stormy  he  laid  a  plate 
on  which  there  were  some  uranium  salts  in  a  drawer.  It 
remained  there  several  days  and  then  he  decided  to  develop  it,  not 
expecting  to  find  any  change,  but  much  to  his  surprise,  there  were 
well-defined  impressions  on  the  plate.  Repeating  the  experiment 
he  found  that  the  uranium  salts  need  not  be  exposed  to  the  sun- 
light in  order  to  obtain  an  impression,  but  that  the  uranium  was 
capable  of  emitting  its  own  rays  of  light  and  that  these  rays  were 
capable  of  penetrating  black  paper. 


Preliminary   Paper  presented  at  the  Experimental  Section  of  the  Academy   of 
Medicine  of  Cleveland,  March  It,  1901. 


13485 


6  METZENBAUM — RADIUM 

In  justice  to  the  discoverer's  name  all  substances,  which  emit 
rays  of  light,  that  are  capable  of  affecting  a  photographic  plate 
through  black  paper  in  the  dark,  are  said  to  possess  Becquerel 
rays. 

Following  up  the  experiments  of  Prof.  Becquerel,  Madam 
Curie,  of  Paris,  assisted  by  her  husband,  M.  Curie,  found  that 
crude  pitchblend,  from  which  uranium  is  derived,  was  much  more 
active  than  the  uranium  salt  itself;  and  they  further  found  that 
the  waste  product  of  the  pitchblend,  remaining  after  the  uranium 
had  been  extracted,  was  even  more  active  than  either  the  uranium 
or  the  pitchblend.  They  not  only  determined  this  activity  by  the 
action  on  photographic  plates,  but  also  by  noting  the  increased 
velocity  with  which  a  charged  electroscope  was  discharged,  when 
the  pitchblend  was  brought  near  it,  as  compared  with  the  velocity 
with  which  the  uranium  discharged  the  electroscope ;  and  also  that 
the  waste  product  of  the  pitchblend  discharged  the  electroscope 
with  a  greater  rapidity  than  did  the  pitchblend.  They,  therefore, 
rightly  concluded  that  pitchblend  contained  something  which 
uranium  did  not,  and  that  this  active  property  was  to  be  found 
in  the  waste  product. 

After  two  years,  in  1898,  the  Curies  extracted  a  new  sub- 
stance, which  they  called  polonium,  and  soon  thereafter  a  second 
new  substance,  which  they  called  radium.  A  year  later  their 
assistant  extracted  a  third  new  substance,  which  they  called 
actinium.  The  discovery  of  radium  promises  to  be  the  most 
important  scientific  discovery  ever  given  to  the  world  by  a  woman. 

For  the  discovery  of  the  Becquerel  rays  and  these  new  sub- 
stances, the  Royal  Academy  of  Stockholm  has  awarded  to  M. 
Becquerel,  M.  and  Madam  Curie  conjointly  the  Nobel  prize  of 
100,000  crowns  ($28,000),  as  being  the  most  important  contribu- 
tion to  "Physics  and  Chemistry"  for  the  year  1903. 

Pitchblend:  Pitchblend,  or  uraninit,  is  found  in  Bohemia, 
Saxony,  Cornwall  and  Colorado.  It  contains  about  81%  of 
uranium,  and  it  is  in  the  waste  product  after  the  uranium  is 
extracted  that  radium  is  found.  Commercially,  the  uranium  salts 
are  used  in  the  coloring  of  glass  and  give  to  the  Bohemian  glass 
their  beautiful  dark  brown  and  blue  tints. 

Uranium  nitrate  is  used  in  photography  in  the  intensify- 
ing solution,  and  it  is  to  be  wondered  at  that  no  photographer 
should  have  discovered  the  action  of  this  salt  on  photographic 
plates.  If  the  uranium  salts  are  rubbed  in  the  dark  they  emit  short 
blue  or  violet  rays. 

Radio  activity:    If  a  piece  of  hard  rubber  or  a  stick  of  sealing- 


METZENBAUM — RADIUM  7 

wax  be  rubbed  with  a  flannel  and  brought  near  an  electroscope,  it 
will  cause  the  two  leaves  of  the  electroscope  to  fly  apart,  due  to  the 
fact  that  both  leaves  are  charged  with  the  same  kind  or  negative 
electricity.  Now  if  metallic  uranium  is  brought  near  this  charged 
electroscope  ii  will  cause  the  leaves  to  come  together.  The  rapidity 
with  which  pure  metallic  uranium  discharges  the  electroscope  is 
taken  as  the  unit  or  one.  The  rapidity  with  which  any  other 
substance  discharges  an  electroscope  is  known  as  the  radioactivity 
of  that  particular  substance.  All  the  products  of  radium,  uranium, 
thorium,  and  as  I  will  show  later  zirconium  and  yttrium  possess 
'this  property  of  discharging  an  electroscope.  The  rapidity  with 
which  the  electroscope  is  discharged  is  noted  by  a  watch,  and  the 
distance  the  leaves  approach  each  other  during  the  interval  noted 
is  read  by  means  of  a  telescope  and  a  finely  graduated  scale.  Cer- 
tain specimens  of  radium  have  an  activity  of  1,700,000. 

Investigation:  Following  along  the  line  of  work  suggested 
by  Professor  Becquerel,  I  obtained  various  samples  of  uranium 
salts  from  different  manufacturers  in  this  country  and  abroad, 
thereby  believing  them  to  have  come  from  different  products  of 
pitchblend.  Then  taking  sensitive  photographic  plates  and  cover- 
ing them  with  black  paper,  there  was  placed  on  each  plate  a  flat 
object,  generally  a  key,  and  around  the  key  the  pulverized  uranium 
crystals  were  sprinkled.  The  plates  were  then  placed  in  a  triple 
photographic  plate-box,  each  box  enclosed  in  a  cigar-box  and 
finally  placed  in  a  cupboard  in  my  photographic  dark-room.  In 
this  way  all  possibilities  for  the  action  of  sunlight  were  absolutely 
excluded. 

Every  six  hours  a  plate  was  developed,  and  after  36  hours  a 
rather  definite  image  appeared.  Most  of  the  uranium  salts,  even 
after  recrystalizing  them  several  times,  require  48  hours  to  produce 
definite  outlines  of  the  object.  . 

Each  experiment  was  repeated  at  least  twice  and  many  as 
often  as  10  times  under  exactly  the  same  conditions,  using  the 
same  substances  in  exactly  the  same  quantities  and  allowing  the 
same  length  of  time.  I  will  not  enter  into  many  details  of  the 
work  covering  many  months,  nor  of  the  many  unsuccessful  results, 
nor  will  I  speak  of  the  vast  number  of  so-called  phosphorescent 
substances,  which  are  either  naturally  phosphorescent  or  in  which 
phosphorescence  was  induced  by  exposure  to  sunlight,  or  by  the 
burning  of  magnesia  strips  near  the  substance,  which  I  have  tried 
but  which  have  not  affected  a  photographic  plate.  Beside  these 
substances  to  be  mentioned  in  this  paper,  there  are  several  which  I 
will  not  report  as  showing  activity  on  a  photographic  plate  until  I 
have  completed  an  entire  series  of  experiments  with  them. 


8  METZENBAUM — RADIUM 

That  the  action  on  a  photographic  plate  is  not  a  chemical 
action,  but  one  due  to  the  so-called  Becquerel  rays,  I  infer  from 
the  fact  that  the  substances  were  separated  from  the  film  of  the 
plate  by  either  black  paper,  a  plate  of  glass,  bone,  or  were  placed 
on  the  reverse  side  of  the  photographic  plate,  so  that  the  rays 
had  to  penetrate  the  glass  before  reaching  the  film.  The  activity 
of  a  particular  product  I  judge  from  the  depth  the  rays  have  pene- 
trated the  film  of  the  plate,  when  the  same  weight  of  crystals, 
generally  120  grains,  were  placed  at  the  same  distance,  for  the 
same  length  of  time,  and  spread  over  the  same  area. 

In  this  paper  there  will  be  mentioned  only  a  single  experiment,* 
illustrating  the  typical  action  of  a  particular  substance  under  each 
different  condition  and  owing  to  the  lack  of  space,  only  a  few  of 
the  pictures  typifying  the  results  can  be  shown. 

The  full  data  of  the  experiments,  with  all  the  objects  exposed 
and  negatives,  are  in  my  possession,  by  which  any  experiment  may 
be  verified. 


Figure   I    URANIUM   SERIES    Experiment  1 

Piece  of  Bohemian  Pitchblend  placed  on  bare  photographic  plate.     Produced  its 
own  image  and  affected  plate  for  y2  inch  around.    Time  24  hours. 

Experiment  1:  Figure  I— A  piece  of  pitchblend  or  uraninit,  obtained 
from  Joachemsthal,  Bohemia,  was  placed  on  a  photographic  plate  and 
not  only  did  it  produce  its  own  image,  but  it  emitted  a  sufficient  amount 
of  rays  to  affect  the  plate  for  more  than  a  half  inch  all  around  itself.  Time 
was  24  hours. 


METZENBAUM — RADIUM 


9 


Experiment  2:  The  same  piece  of  pitchbend  as  in  Experiment  1 
was  placed  on  the  reverse  side  of  a  photographic  plate,  which  was  cov- 
ered with  black  paper,  and  remained  there  five  days,  after  which  time 
not  only  did  the  pitchblend  produce  its  own  image  but  it  cast  out  suffi- 
cient amount  of  rays  to  affect  the  plate  for  three-quarters  of  an  inch  all 
around  itself.  In  this  case  the  rays  first  penetrated  the  glass  before 
reaching  the  film. 

Experiment  3:  A  hermetically  sealed  tube  of  very  thick  glass,  con- 
taining five  grains  of  pure  metallic  uranium,  was  placed  on  a  photo- 
graphic plate  covered  with  black  paper.  After  48  hours  it  gave  a  very 
deep  print  of  itself. 

Experiment  4:  The  same  tube  as  in  the  above  experiment  was  sus- 
pended over  a  key  placed  on  a  bare  photographic  plate  at  a  distance  of 
half  an  inch.  The  time  was  90  hours.  This  specimen  of  metallic  uranium 
does  not  seem  to  be  specially  active. 

Experiment  5 :  Six  crystals  of  nitrate  of  uranium  were  placed  on  a 
photographic  plate,  which  was  first  covered  with  black  paper,  and  allowed 
to  remain  48  hours,  after  which  time  they  produced  their  own  image  and 
also  cast  out  a  sufficient  amount  of  rays  to  flash  the  plate  for  a  distance 
of  half  an  inch  around. 

Experiment  6 :  Powdered  crystals  of  uranic  oxid  (yellow  oxid)  were 
sprinkled  around  the  key,  which  was  laid  on  the  covered  photographic 
plate.  The  rays  in  this  case  have  partially  penetrated  the  key.  The  time 
48  hours. 

Experiment  7 :  Powdered 
crystals  of  uranous  oxid  (black 
oxid)  were  sprinkled  around 
the  key,  which  was  laid  on  a 
photographic  plate  covered 
with  black  paper.  The  time 
was  48  hours.  In  this  case 
the  Becquerel  rays  have  pene- 
trated the  thin  steel  chiefly 
around  the  head  of  the  key. 
This  product  of  uranium  is  the 
most  radioactive  of  any  of  the 
uranium  salts  I  possess,  and 
seems  to  be  even  more  active, 
than  the  metallic  uranium. 

Experiment  8 :  A  bone 
pleximiter  of  one  mm.  thick- 
ness was  laid  on  a  photo- 
graphic plate,  covered  with 
black  paper  and  the  powdered 
crystals  of  nitrate  of  uranium 
was  placed  on  the  plate  of  bone 
and  allowed  to  remain  72 
hours.  In  this  case  the  rays 
have  penetrated  the  bone. 

Experiment  9 :  Thinking 
that  possibly  some  of  the 
action  on  the  plate  might 
have  been  due  to  some  of  the 
crystals  being  accidentally 
forced  under  the  bone  plate, 
or  that  the  bone  did  not  lie 
absolutely  flat  on  the  plate,  thus 
allowing  some  of  the  rays 
to  penetrate  under  the  side 
of  the  bone.  I  made  a  trough  of  black  paper,  placed  this  on  top  of  the 
bone  plate,  which  was  laid  on  a  photographic  plate,  which  was  covered 
with  black  paper,  and  placed  the  uranium  nitrate  crystals  in  the  paper 


URANIUM  SERIES 
Figure  II    Experiment  14. 

Crystals  of  uranous  oxid  (black  oxid) 
were  placed  on  glass  plate  suspended  one 
inch  above  a  plate  covered  with  black 
paper.  Time  92  hours. 


10  METZENBAUM — RADIUM 

trough,  and  after  72  hours  I  obtained  a  picture  showing  that  the  rays 
had  penetrated  the  bone  and  the  two  layers  of  black  paper. 

Experiment  10 :  I  placed  crystals  of  uranous  oxid  in  an  aluminum  cup 
and  placed  the  cup  on  a  plate  of  bone  of  one  mm.  thickness  which  was 
on  the  bare  photographic  plate.  In  this  case  the  rays  have  penetrated  the 
aluminum  and  the  bone.  Time  120  hours. 

Experiment  11 :  Uranous  oxid  was  placed  in  an  aluminum  box 
which  was  placed  on  a  photographic  plate  covered  with  black  paper  and 
after  60  hours  it  produced  a  very  deep  print. 

Experiment  12 :  Uranous  oxid  was  placed  in  an  aluminum  box,  which 
was  placed  on  the  reverse  side  of  a  photographic  plate,  and  after  72  hours 
it  produced  a  very  deep  print. 

Experiment  13 :  Crystals  of  uranous  oxid  were  placed  on  a  glass 
plate,  which  was  suspended  half  an  inch  above  the  object  which  was 
placed  on  a  photographic  plate,  covered  with^  black  paper,  and  after  72 
hours  it  gave  a  well-defined  outline  of  the  object. 

Experiment  14:  Figure  II — Crystals  of  uranous  oxid  were  placed  on 
a  glass  plate  suspended  one  inch  above  the  photographic  plate,  the  left  half 
of  which  was  covered  with  black  paper  and  a  key  was  laid  on  each  half. 
The  time  was  92  hours.  At  this  distance  (one  inch)  it  requires  nearly  twice 
the  length  of  time  to  produce  the  same  depth  of  print.  There  is  very  little 
difference  between  the  half  covered  with  black  paper  and  the  half  not  so 
covered — the  black  paper  offering  but  little  hindrance  to  the  rays. 

SUMMARY 

From  the  foregoing  experiments  we  may  draw  the  following 
conclusions :  that  the  various  uranium  salts  are  capable  of  affect- 
ing a  photographic  plate  without  the  aid  of  the  direct  sun  rays; 
that  these  rays  can  penetrate  black  paper,  aluminium,  bone,  and 
glass ;  that  they  can  act  at  a  distance  of  several  inches.  At  a  dis- 
tance of  one  inch,  it  requires  about  twice  the  length  of  time  for  the 
rays  to  act  as  compared  with  their  action,  when  only  separated 
from  the  photographic  plate  by  black  paper.  After  several  months, 
during  which  time  these  uranium  salts  have  been  used  almost  con- 
stantly, they  do  not  seem  to  show  any  loss  of  power  in  their  action 
on  photographic  plates. 

The  radioactivity,  as  exhibited  in  the  uranium  products,  I 
believe  is  due  to  the  fact  that  uranium  is  derived  from  the  same 
crude  product  as  radium,  and  that  it  possesses  none  of  these 
properties  itself,  but  probably  contains  very  minute  quantities  of 
radium.  The  different  products  of  uranium  vary  as  to  their 
action  on  photographic  plates,  which  probably  depends  upon  the 
amount  of  radium  present  in  the  product. 

THORIUM   SERIES 

All  the  experiments  performed  with  thorium  are  the  exact 
duplicates  of  those  performed  with  uranium,  and  in  all  respects 
the  results  obtained  are  the  same,  except  that  some  thorium 
products  affect  a  photographic  plate  with  greater  rapidity  than 
some  of  the  uranium  products  I  have  examined  and  with  less 


METZENBAUM — RADIU 

rapidity  than  others,  a  notable  exception  is  one  particular  specimen 
of  uranous  oxid,  which  is  very  active. 

Thorium  is  considered  the  most  radioactive  substance  known, 
next  to  that  of  radium  itself.  Thorium  was  originally  found  in 
Greenland,  but  is  now  obtained  in  great  quantities  in  a  very  pure 
form  in  South  America. 

Commercially,  thorium  is  used  for  the  manufacture  of  Wels- 
bach  and  similar  mantels,  these  mantels  containing  about  '98% 
of  pure  thorium  nitrate. 


Figure    III    THORIUM    SERIES    Experiment    I 

Fragment  of  Welsbach   mantel   laid   on  bare   photographic   plate.     Due   to   the 
Becquerel  rays  of  the  thorium  it  photographs  itself.     Time  72  hours. 

Experiment  I :  Figure  III — I  took  part  of  a  Welsbach  mantel  which 
had  been  burning  on  my  gas  for  some  time  and  placed  the  same  on  a  bare 
photographic  plate.  The  mantel  produced  its  own  image  in  72  hours, 
due  to  the  Becquerel  rays  contained  in  the  thorium. 

Experiment  II :  A  photographic  plate  was  covered  with  black  paper 
and  flie  Welsbach  mantel  was  placed  on  top  of  the  paper,  it  requiring 
seven  days  for  the  rays  to  penetrate  the  black  paper  and  14  days  to  pro- 
duce a  strong  print.  The  reason  for  such  a  long  exposure  is  due  to  the 
small  quantity  of  thorium  in  this  fragment  of  the  mantel. 

Experiment  III :  Figure  IV— A  photographic  plate  was  covered  with 
black  paper,  a  key  was  placed  on  top,  and  the  powdered  crystals  of  thor- 
ium nitrate  were  laid  around  the  key.  The  time  60  hours. 

Experiment  IV:  Crystals  of  thorium  nitrate  were  placed  on  a  glass 
plate  suspended  one  inch  above  a  plate  which  was  covered  with  black 
paper  on  which  lay  a  key.  The  time  96  hours. 

Experiment  V:  Crystals  of  thorium  nitrate  were  placed  in  an  alumi- 
num cup,  and  the  cup  was  then  placed  on  a  photographic  plate  covered 


12  METZENBAUM — RADIUM 

with  black  paper.     It  required  four  days   for  the  rays   to  penetrate  the 
aluminum  and  paper. 

Experiment  VI:  Thorium  nitrate  was  placed  on  top  of  a  plate  of 
bone  of  one  mm.  thickness.  The  time  necessary  for  the  rays  to  penetrate 
was  92  hours. 


Figfure  IV    THORIUM  SERIES    Experiment  III 

Polar  Bear  picture.     Spread  crystals  of  thorium  nitrate  around  key  placed  on 
plate  first  covered  with  black  paper.    Time  60  hours. 

CONCLUSIONS 

From  these  experiments  we  can  conclude  that  the  Becquerel 
rays  of  thorium  are  capable  of  affecting  photographic  plates  in  the 
dark  without  the  aid  of  sunlight;  that  they  can  penetrate  black 
paper,  aluminum,  bone  and  glass,  and  at  a  distance  of  one 
inch  it  requires  about  twice  the  length  of  time  it  would  if  it 
were  only  separated  from  the  photographic  plate  by  black  paper. 
This  radioactivity  of  thorium  is  most  probably  due  to  a  minute 
quantity  of  radium,  which  it  contains. 

In  the  investigation  of  many  substances  belonging  to  the  same 
class  as  thorium,  as  to  the  action  on  photographic  plates  in  the 
dark,  I  now  wish  to  report  two  substances,  as  affecting  photo- 
graphic plates  in  the  dark,  which  have  hitherto  not  been  reported 
as  having  this  property.  The  first  is  zirconium  nitrate,  the  second 
yttrium. 

I  think  one  may  almost  draw  the  inference  that  all  of  the 
other  rare  substances  belonging  to  this  same  group  similar  to 
thorium,  zirconium  and  yttrium  will  show  a  radioactivity. 


METZENBAUM — RADIUM  13 

These  substances  are  used  in  the  manufacture  of  the  Welsbach 
mantel,  and  under  the  stimulation  of  the  burning  gas  they  emit 
their  strong  light. 


Figure  V    ZIRCONIUM  SERIES    Experiment  I 

Crystal  of  zirconium  nitrate  spread  around  object,  which  was  laid  on  photo- 
graphic plate  first  covered  with  black  paper.  This  is  the  first  picture  made  showing 
zirconium  to  possess  the  Becquerel  rays.  Time  48  hours. 

Experiment  I:  Figure  V — I  covered  a  photographic  plate  with  black 
paper,  spread  crystals  of  zirconium  nitrate  around  the  object,  and  obtained 
a  very  definite  outline  of  the  object  in  48  hours,  showing  the  rays  to  have 
penetrated  the  film  very  deeply. 

Experiment  II:  I  placed  the  crystals  of  zirconium  nitrate  on  a  glass 
plate  which  was  suspended  one  inch  above  a  bare  photographic  plate  on 
which  a  key  was  placed.  After  92  hours  there  I  obtained  a  very  good  out- 
line of  the  key.  These  are  the  first  pictures  produced  by  the  Becquerel 
rays  of  zirconium. 

Experiment  III:  The  crystals  of  zirconium  nitrate  were  placed  in 
an  aluminum  box  and  placed  the  same  on  a  covered  photographic  plate  and 
after  72  hours  there  was  a  strong  picture,  showing  the  rays  to  have  pene- 
trated the  aluminum  and  black  paper. 

In  repeated  experiments  with  zirconium  it  seems  to  affect  a 
photographic  plate  in  less  time  than  any  preparation  of  thorium  I 
have  thus  far  obtained.  It  is  possible  that  zirconium  may  even  be 
shown  to  be  more  radioactive  than  thorium. 

Experiment  I:  A  photographic  plate  was  covered  with  black  paper 
and  crystals  of  yttrium  were  spread  around  the  object.  It  required  four 
days  to  affect  the  photographic  plate. 

Experiment  II:  Some  yttrium  was  placed  in  an  aluminum  box  and 
then  placed  on  a  covered  photographic  plate.  A  definite  impression  was 
obtained  after  72  hours. 


14 


METZENBAUM — RADIUM 


RADIUM 

The  source  of  radium  is  from  pitchblend  or  uraninite  after 
the  uranium  has  been  extracted.  It  comes  in  hermetically  sealed 
tubes,  for  it  absorbs  moisture  readily,  in  the  form  of  radium  car- 
bonate in  the  lower  activities,  and  as  radium  bromid  or  chlorid 
in  the  higher  activities.  Pure  radium  is  practically  unknown.  It 
has  a  spectrum  of  its  own  and  Madam  Curie  determined  its 
atomic  weight  as  225.  This  is  the  largest  atomic  weight  of  any 
substance  known  and,  therefore,  has  a  very  large  molecule.  It 
has  a  spectrum  of  its  own.  It  has  thus  fulfilled  all  the  require- 
ments of  an  element.  It  belongs  to  the  group  of  strontium, 
barium  and  calcium.  It  is  capable  of  affecting  a  photographic 
plate  in  the  dark  at  a  distance  of  many  inches. 


Figure  VI    RADIUM  PICTURE 

Suspended  tube  15  gr.   Radium  40  activity  under  surface  of  cigar-box  cover.     On 
bottom  of  box  placed  chain  on  bare  photographic  plate.     Time  24  hours. 

In  Figure  VI  the  chain  was  placed  on  the  bare  photographic  plate, 
which  was  placed  on  the  bottom  of  the  cigar-box  and  a  tube  of  radium 
of  40  activity  containing  15  grains  was  suspended  from  the  under  sur- 
face of  the  cigar-box  cover.  The  time  was  24  hours. 

A  tube  of  radium  of  7000  activity  containing  20  milligrams  was  placed 
on  the  brass  hook,  which  lay  on  a  photographic  plate  covered  with  black 
paper.  The  time  24  hours.  In  this  case  the  rays  have  penetrated  the 
brass. 

The  rays  of  radium  of  very  high  activity  are  capable  of  pene- 
trating very  dense  bodies.     In  the  dark,  when  placed  back  of  the 


MEJZENBAUM — RADIUM  1 5 

ordinary  fluoroscope  screen,  there  appears  a  rather  bright  area. 
When  placed  back  of  some  Willimite  it  seems  as  if  a  light  were 
placed  back  of  a  yellow  stained  window.  When  brought  near  a 
diamond  in  the  dark  it  causes  the  same  to  phosphoresce  very 
brilliantly. 

When  radium  of  high  activity  is  placed  against  the  closed 
eyelid  it  gives  a  very  peculiar  brilliant  light.  In  the  dark,  radium 
gives  out  a  phosphorescent  light  which  is  very  similar  to  that 
obtained  by  rubbing  the  head  of  a  match  with  one's  fingers 
in  the  dark.  If  one  arises  at  night  after  the  eyes  have  been 
relaxed  for  several  hours,  and  if  the  room  be  perfectly  dark,  one 
may  be  able  to  follow  out  and  read  a  line  of  print.  Radium  emits 
enough  heat  to  melt  its  own  weight  of  ice  per  hour. 

The  ability  of  radium  to  give  out  both  light  and  heat  for  an 
indefinite  time  without  apparently  losing  any  of  its  weight  or 
power  has  startled  the  scientific  world,  and,  as  Lord  Kelvin  said, 
"Radium  has  placed  the  first  question-mark  back  of  the  law  of 
conservation  of  energy;"  for  here  there  is  a  kind  of  perpetual 
motion,  and  it  is  seemingly,  as  if  radium  was  creating  its  own 
energy.  But  already  several  observations  point  to  a  solution  of 
the  problem.  However,  it  is  true  that  no  known  substance  is 
capable  of  giving  out  the  same  amount  of  energy  without  becom- 
ing inactive. 

First  theory:  Is  that  radium  has  a  very  large  molecule, 
since  its  atomic  weight  is  225,  and  that  these  molecules  are  con- 
tinuously breaking  up  into'  smaller  particles,  namely  into  ions  or 
electrons,  and  it  is  because  of  the  breaking  up  of  the  molecules  and 
thereby  changing  its  form,  that  radium  emits  light  and  heat. 

As  bearing  on  this  theory,  Prof.  Crooks  constructed  an  instru- 
ment called  the  "spinthariscope."  This  instrument  consists  of  a 
small  X-ray  or  fluoroscopic  screen  of  platino-barium-cyanide,  back 
of  which  there  is  placed  a  small  particle  of  radium.  When  you 
look  through  a  low-powered  microscope  on  this  screen,  in  the 
dark,  there  can  be  seen  continuous  brilliant  flashes  on  various  parts 
on  the  screen,  which  appear  very  similar  to  the  silvery  flashes  seen 
on  the  screen  during  a  kinetescopic  view.  These  flashes  are  inter- 
preted as  being  due  to  the  ions  striking  up  against  the  screen. 

Second  theory:  This  is  one  in  which  it  is  supposed  that 
radium  acts  as  a  transformer  and  is  capable  of  capturing  or  absorb- 
ing some  form  of  energy  and  of  converting  the  same  into  the 
ultra-violet  light  and  heat. 

As  bearing  on  this  theory  the  following  may  be  offered:  If 
zinc  sulphid  be  exposed  to  the  sunlight  it  becomes  phosphorescent 


16 


METZENBAUM — RADIUM 


and  is  capable  of  affecting  a  photographic  plate  in  the  dark  for  as 
long  a  period  as  six  weeks. 

Second — If  calcium  sulphid  is  exposed  to  the  sunlight  or  after 
it  is  placed  near  burning  magnesia  it  will  affect  a  photographic 
plate  in  the  dark  for  a  long  time. 

Third — I  took  some  polysulphid  of  calcium  and  mixed  the 
same  with  some  varnish  and  with  this  I  painted  the  inside  of  a 
large  test-tube.  (This  is  practically  known  as  luminous  paint.) 
This  tube  was  then  exposed  to  the  sunlight  which  rendered  it 
phosphorescent,  and  when  taken  into  the  dark  it  gives  out  suffici- 
ent light  so  that  one  can  read  several  lines  of  a  newspaper  at 


Figure   VII 

Test  tube  painted  with  polysulphid  of  calcium  rendered  phosphorescent  by 
exposure  to  sunlight,  suspended  from  under  surface  of  cigar-box  cover.  Bare  photo- 
graphic plate  with  objects  laid  on  bottom  of  box.  Time  seven  days.  Double  image 
due  to  moving  box  after  three  days. 

a  time.  ( Fig.  vii. )  This  tube  was  then  suspended  from  the  under 
surface  of  a  cigar-box  cover,  and  at  the  bottom  of  the  box  was 
placed  a  bare  photographic  plate  on  which  was  laid  the  three 
objects,  the  distance  from  the  tube  to  the  plate  being  about  two 
inches.  The  box  was  wrapped  up  in  paper  and  laid  away  in  a 
drawer  in  the  dark-room  and  remained  there  for  seven  days,  after 
which  time  a  very  definite  outline  of  the  object  was  obtained.  The 
double  outline  of  the  objects  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  box  was 
moved  on  the  third  day.  This  tube  has  been  kept  constantly  in  the 


METZENBAUM — RADIUM  17 

dark  for  six  weeks,  after  which  time  it  affected  the  photographic 
plate  very  actively  in  five  days.  Thus  we  see  that  these  two  sub- 
stances, zinc  sulphid  and  calcium  polysulphid,  are  capable  of 
absorbing  some  energy  from  the  sunlight,  and  calcium  sulphid 
of  absorbing  some  energy  from  either  the  sun's  rays  or  from  the 
burning  magnesia,  and  that  these  substances  are  capable  of  retain- 
ing this  energy  and  of  giving  the  same  out  slowly  for  a  period  of 
six  weeks,  during  which  time  they  can  affect  a  photographic  plate. 

INDUCED  RADIOACTIVITY 

It  has  been  stated  that  if  a  sealed  tube  containing  radium  of 
high  activity  be  suspended  in  a  normal  salt  solution,  and  solutions 
containing  various  drugs,  that  these  solutions  become  radioactive 
and  are  capable  of  affecting  photographic  plates.. 

It  has  further  been  intimated  that  if  radium  has  a  thera- 
peutic value,  then  these  solutions  which  have  been  rendered  radio- 
active might  likewise  have  a  therapeutic  action,  and  since  solutions 
can  be  taken  internally,  the  possibilities  of  these  radioactive  solu- 
tions  might  be  of  considerable  value. 

In  view  of  this  fact,  I  conducted  a  very  large  series  of  experi- 
ments from  which  the  following  negative  results  have  been 
obtained : 

Two  tubes  of  radium  of  1,000,000  activity,  each  containing 
5  milligrams,  and  two  other  tubes  of  lesser  activity,  each  contain- 
ing 50  milligrams,  were  placed  in  a  normal  salt  solution  and 
remained  there  for  10  days. 

This  solution  was  placed  in  test-tubes  of  very  thin  glass  and  in 
the  small  vials  in  which  hypodermic  tablets  are  contained.  These 
were  then  strapped  with  adhesive  plaster  on  to  the  film  side  of 
photographic  plates.  Some  of  the  plates  had  first  been  covered 
with  black  paper. 

These  tubes  remained  from  a  period  of  24  hours  up  to  21 
days,  and  in  no  case  was  there  the  .faintest  sign  that  the  photo- 
graphic plates  had  been  affected. 

It  has  been  known  for  a  long  time  that  aluminum  offers  very 
little  resistance  to  the  rays  of  radium  and  radioactive  substances. 

I  therefore  took  many  boxes  made  of  very  thin  aluminum  and 
filled  these  with  so-called  radioactive  solutions,  and  placed  them 
on  photographic  plates,  first  covered  with  black  paper.  But  in  no 
instance,  even  after  10  days,  was  any  image  obtained. 

Then  aluminum  boxes  were  filled  with  these  solutions  and 
placed  on  the  bare  photographic  plates,  and  after  40  to  48  hours 
verv  definite  outlines  of  the  boxes  wereobtained.  Stimulated  by  this 


18  METZENBAUM — RADIUM 

last  observation,  which  I  then  considered  a  correct  one,  as  indicat- 
ing a  result  due  to  the  so-called  radioactve  solutions.  I  practically 
completed  a  series  of  96  experiments,  from  which  I  made  the  fol- 
lowing inferences,  which  would  be  very  pleasing  if  true,  but  as  I 
will  soon  show,  are  incorrect. 

1.  That  a  normal   salt   solution   becomes   radioactive,   as   proven   by 
the  outline  of  an  aluminum  box  containing  this  solution,  when  this  box 
is  placed  on  a  bare  photographic  plate  for  40  to  48  hours. 

2.  A  saturated  salt  solution  becomes  more  radioactive  than  a  nor- 
mal salt  solution. 

3.  As   the   amount   of   salt   in   the   solution    is   increased,   so   is   the 
induced  radioactivity. 

4.  A  tube  of  10  milligrams  of  1,000,000  activity  does   not  induce  a 
greater  amount  of  radioactivity  into  a  salt  solution,  than  does  a  tube  of  20 
milligrams  of  7,000  activity  or  a  tube  of  15  grains  of  40  activity.     From 
this  it  would  seem  as  though  a  salt  solution  could  be  rendered  radioactive 
to  a  certain  degree  only. 

5.  The    radioactivity   seemed   to  be   just   as   great   after   a   tube    of 
radium  was  suspended  in  a  salt  solution  for  10  hours,  as  it  was  after  the 
tube  of  radium  had  been  kept  in  the  salt  solution  continuously  for  three 
weeks. 

6.  That  a  tube  of  radium  could  be  placed  in  some  salt  and  if  this 
salt  were  made  into  solution,  it  would  retain  its  radioactivity. 

7.  That  this  radioactivity  is  not  lost  after  several  weeks. 

If  all  of  these  inferences  had  not  been  overthrown,  and  if 
these  radioactive  solutions  had  any  therapeutic  action,  then  surely 
these  results  would  have  been  of  great  value,  for  it  would  be 
possible  to  transport  these  solutions,  or  to  render  substances  radio- 
active, and  to  apply  the  same,  and  again  a  tube  of  radium  costing 
a  few  dollars  would  accomplish  the  same  result  as  a  tube  costing 
$250.00. 

ALUMINUM 

When  these  aluminum  boxes  were  placed  on  the  photographic 
plate,  they  only  produced  an  outline  of  their  rim.  This  I  explained 
by  the  fact  that  they  were  slightly  concave  and  only  affected  the 
plate  at  the  points  of  contact.  It  was  also  noticed,  no  matter  what 
solutions  the  boxes  contained,  that  there  was  always  about  the 
same  amount  of  print  for  the  same  length  of  time.  I  had  also 
noticed  that  distilled  water,  when  submitted  to  the  tube  of  radium, 
produced  the  same  amount  of  print.  This  caused  me  some  doubt, 
for  I  believed  it  to  be  the  solids  in  the  solution  which  became  radio- 
active. When  aluminum  boxes  were  filled  with  these  salt  solu- 
tions and  empty  ones  were  placed  on  the  reverse  side  of  the  photo- 
graphic plate,  they  did  not  affect  the  plate  after  a  period  of  10 
days. 

During  the  entire  series  no  aluminum  box  had  been  used 
more  than  once,  for  I  soon  observed  that  if  a  box  had  contained 
any  of  these  solutions  or  any  radioactive  substance,  no  matter 
how  much  I  cleaned  or  boiled  it,  the  box  still  affected  the  photo- 


METZENBAUM — RADIUM 


19 


Figure  VIII 
An     empty    aluminum    box 


was 


graphic  plate ;  while  the  steel  keys,  which  had  been  covered  with 
the  various  uranium  salts,  and  thorium,  if  they  were  cleaned 
thoroughly,  would  not  affect  the  photographic  plate.  These  boxes 
were  always  kept  in  a  place  where  I  thought  them  out  of  the 
influence  of  all  radioactive  substance. 

These  observations  forced  me  to  seek  for  an  error.  This 
action  of  metallic  aluminum  on  the  photographic  plates  I  con- 
cluded must  be  sought  for  in  the  boxes  themselves. 

Then  several  empty  boxes  were 
placed  on  bare  photographic  plates 
and  after  48  hours  they  gave  as 
good  prints  as  if  they  had  been  rilled 
with  the  solutions.  I  then  thought 
that  somehow  they  might  have  been 
rendered  radioactive.  Then  some 
new  boxes  were  obtained  and  placed 
on  bare  photographic  plates,  and 
after  48  hours  these  also  affected 
the  plate,  and  so  did  many  other 
new  boxes. 

The  next  questions  which  pre- 
sented themselves,  were: 

1.  Is    the    particular  product 
of    aluminum,    from    which    these 
boxes  are  made,  radioactive? 

2.  Is  all  aluminum  radioactive? 

3.  Is  this  action  of  aluminum  on  photographic  plates  due 
to  radioactivity,  or  some  other  cause? 

4.  If  this  action  of  aluminum   on   photographic    plates    is 
not  due  to  radioactivity,  what  then  is  it  due  to  ? 

5.  What  action  will  aluminum  salts  have  on  photographic 
plates  ? 

Summary:  Many  aluminum  articles  were  placed  on  bare 
photographic  plates,  and  in  every  instance  they  produced  their 
own  image  in  48  to  96  hours. 

These  same  aluminum  articles,  when  placed  on  photographic 
plates  covered  with  black  paper,  did  not  produce  an  effect  on  the 
plate  in  10  days. 

These  same  aluminum  articles,  when  placed  on  the  reverse 
side  of  the  photographic  plate,  or  when  separated  from  the  film  by 
a  plate  of  glass,  did  not  affect  the  plate  in  10  days. 

The  summary  of  the  experiment  of  placing  aluminum  salts, 
of  which  there  are  many,  on  the  bare  photographic  plate,  is  that 
in  no  instance  was  the  plate  at  all  affected  after  10  days. 

B  R  A 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


placed  on  the  bare  photographic 
plate.  Time  60  hours.  The  box  is 
slightly  concave  and  only  gives  an 
outline  of  the  rim  where  it  touches. 
This  action  is  not  one  due  to  radio- 
activity, but  is  probably  either 
chemical  or  electrical. 


20  METZENBAUM — RADIUM 

The  inferences  to  be  drawn  are: 

1.  When  metallic  aluminum  is  placed  on  the  bare  photo- 
graphic plate  in  the  dark,  it  will  produce  its  own  image. 

2.  That   aluminum    will   not   affect    a   photographic   plate 
when  separated  from  the  film  of  the  plate  by  black  paper,  glass,  or 
when  placed  on  the  reverse  side  of  the  plate.     Therefore,  alumi- 
num is  not  radioactive. 

This  action  of  metallic  aluminum  on  photographic  plates  is 
probably  either  a  chemical  action  or  an  electrical  action  between 
the  metal  and  the  albuminate  of  silver  of  the  plate. 

This  observation,  that  metallic  aluminum  when  placed  on  the 
bare  photographic  plate  produces  its  own  image,  has  heretofore 
not  been  pointed  out. 

Tubes  of  radium  were  placed  in  various  powders,  as  bismuth 
subnitrate,  for  several  days,  and  then  these  powders  were  placed 
directly  on  the  film  of  the  plate,  and  in  no  instance,  even  after  10 
days,  did  they  show  the  slightest  effect  on  the  plate. 

These  conclusions  give  positive  proof,  that  by  suspending 
tubes  of  radium  of  varying  strengths  for  long  periods  in  various 
solutions  and  various  powders,  that  neither  the  solutions  nor  the 
powders  are  capable  of  affecting  photographic  plates. 

Nor  was  it  possible  to  show  the  supposed  induced  radio- 
activity by  means  of  an  electroscope. 

Radium-therapy  is  a  word  I  chose  to  suggest  some  months 
ago  as  signifying  the  application  of  the  radium  rays  in  the  treat- 
ment of  diseases,  in  counterdistinction  to  the  word  radiotherapy, 
which  signifies  the  application  of  the  X-rays  in  the  treatment  of 
disease. 

There  has  never  been  a  discovery  but  has  been  heralded 
as  a  panacea  or  cure-all,  and  already  the  radium  rays  are  supposed 
to  have  accomplished  wonders,  especially  in  the  cure  of  cancers 
and  consumption.  I  have  canvassed  the  subject  thoroughly,  col- 
lected all  the  published  literature  from  medical  magazines  to  date, 
and  written  to  many  who  have  reported  cases  of  cure,  and  I  must 
say  that,  up  to  the  present  time,  there  are  but  few  cases  reported 
by  thoroughly  reliable  observers,  wherein  the  radium  rays  have 
shown  a  beneficial  action.  Furthermore,  it  is  far  too  early  to 
draw  any  inferences,  though  it  does  seem  as  if  these  rays  do  exert 
some  influence  in  lupus  and  rodent  ulcer,  but,  in  cases  of  deep- 
seated  cancer,  it  is  not  possible  to  apply  the  rays  without  affecting 
all  of  the  tissues,  through  which  the  rays  must  pass. 

It  has  been  proclaimed  that  the  radium  rays  are  life-giving. 
Now  my  inferences  are  quite  the  opposite,  namely,  that  it  is  a 


METZENBAUM — RADIUM  2 1 

\CAL< 

death-producing  agent  to  all  living  cells,  either^anfmai- Or  plant,  if 

applied  in  sufficient  strength  and  for  a  long  enough  time,  and  its 
value  in  medicine  is  the  hope,  that  it  may  destroy  the  life  of 
simpler  cells  of  germs  or  of  cancer  before  destroying  the  healthy 
cells  of  the  body,  thus  leaving  the  healthy  body-cells  to  regain 
themselves. 

That  healthy  cells  of  the  body  may  be  destroyed  is  proven 
by  the  already  frequent  observations  that  when  radium  is  applied 
to  the  healthy  skin  for  a  considerable  length  of  time,  it  will  pro- 
duce an  irritation,  which  may  result  in  an  ulcer  requiring  months  to 
heal.  I  have  seen  such  a  scar  in  a  physician,  who  had  placed  a 
tube  of  radium  in  an  aluminum  box  and  fastened  the  same  to 
his  forearm  for  three  hours.  The  experiment  was  made  over 
two  years  ago,  and  at  the  present  time  there  remains  a  red 
irritated  area,  on  which  the  hair  no  longer  grows,  and  in  many 
respects  it  acts  like  some  vaccination  scars. 

There  are  some  reliable  reports  showing  that  radium  has 
retarded  certain  growths  of  bacteria.  Prof.  Curie  introduced 
a  few  milligrams  of  radium  under  the  skin  of  a  mouse  near  the 
vertebral  column  and  it  produced  death  by  paralysis  in  three 
hours.  He  also  placed  tubes  of  radium  of  high  activity  on  the 
backs  of  guinea-pigs,  which  were  either  paralyzed  or  died  of 
paralysis  in  a  few  hours.  This  seems  to  indicate  that  the  radium 
rays  have  an  action  on  the  nerves. 

The  obtaining  of  definite  knowledge  as  to  the  therapeutic 
effect  of  radium  will  be  very  slow  in  forthcoming  owing  to  the 
present  rarity  of  the  element  and  the  great  cost  of  the  same,  and 
the  time  which  must  necessarily  elapse  before  a  malignant  growth 
can  be  pronounced  as  cured. 

It  was  thought  that  radium  might  be  used  similar  to  the 
X-rays  in  .obtaining  skiagraphs  of  the  bones,  but  the  rays  of  radium 
penetrate  the  bone  quite  as  easily  as  they  do  the  flesh,  and  it 
requires  at  least  24  hours,  using  a  tube  of  radium  of  high  activity, 
to  obtain  an  outline  of  the  bones,  during  which  time  the  rays  will 
have  caused  a  very  severe  irritation  of  the  exposed  area. 

The  next  two  figures  of  a  false  joint  of  the  ulna  (which  I 
reported  in  the  Cleveland  Medical  Journal,  April,  1904)  give 
a  very  good  example  of  the  comparative  value  of  the  X-rays  and 
radium  in  the  examination  of  bones  directly.  The  first  figure  is  an 
X-ray  of  the  bone  itself  after  a  three-minute  exposure.  In  the 
second  figure  the  bone  was  fastened  directly  on  the  bare  photo- 
graphic plate  and  a  tube  of  15  grains  of  radium  of  40  activity 
was  suspended  directly  above  for  one  week.  The  rays  have  but 


22 


METZENBAUM — RADIUM 


slightly  penetrated  the  connective  tissue  between  the  ends  of 
the  two  bones.  When  tubes  of  radium  of  high  activity  were 
suspended  above  this  same  bone  for  a  period  of  two  weeks  it 
did  not  show  a  sharp  differentiation  between  the  fibrous  tissue 
and  the  solid  bone. 


X-ray  picture  of  false  joint,  showing  the 
ends  of  the  fragments.  Three-minute  ex- 
posure. 


Radium  picture.  Tube  of  15  grain  of 
Radium  40  activity  suspended  one  week 
above  bone  which  was  placed  on  a  bare 
photographic  plate. 


Thorium,  being  a  very  radioactive  substance,  might  have 
some  value  in  either  medicine  or  surgery,  for  it  is  a  nice,  clean, 
white,  stable  chemical,  and  it  is  possible  that  it  might  be  added 
to  our  list  of  drugs. 

The  toxicity  of  this  substance,  as  determined  on  animals,  as 
well  as  the  clinical  findings  of  the  same,  with  those  of  radium,  will 
be  published  later. 

As  this  article  goes  to  print,  I  wish  to  state  briefly  the  his- 
tory of  a  case  of  lupus  which  I  am  treating  with  radium  and  which 
seems  to  be  healing. 


METZENBAUM — RADIUM  ,          23 

Mrs  D ,  age  57,  had  a  beginning  lupus  16  months  ago. 

Under  the  applications  of  the  X-rays  it  improved.  Then  the  eye 
itself  became  involved  to  such  an  extent  that  it  was  necessary  to 
remove  it  eight  months  ago.  While  the  wound  from  the  operation 
was  healing  the  X-rays  had  to  be  discontinued  for  a  period  of  six 
weeks,  during  which  time  the  disease  spread.  Further  application 
of  the  X-rays  caused  the  center  to  heal,  while  the  ulcerated  area 
spread  at  the  periphery. 

The  patient  was  referred  to  me  April  7.  At  this  time  there 
was  a  round  healed  area  1^  centimeters  in  diameter.  Around 
this  was  an  ulcerated  rim  varying  in  width  from  one  to  one  and  a 
half  centimeters  and  extending  from  the  outer  corner  of  the  eye 
to  within  %l/2  centimeters  of  the  ear  and  well  down  on  the  cheek. 
The  entire  area  was  deeply  congested. 

I  applied  a  tube  of  radium  of  7000  activity  and  two  tubes  of 
40  activity,  for  35  minutes  every  three  days.  After  the  second 
treatment  much  of  the  congestion  disappeared  and  the  edges,  as 
well  as  the  base,  took  on  a  better  appearance,  and  much  of  the 
deep-seated  pain  had  left. 

The  improvement  was  very  rapid,  and  now  after  21  days 
there  is  a  new,  healthy  looking  skin  covering  the  entire  ulcer- 
ated area  excepting  a  few  small  places.  The  internal  pain  has 
left  entirely,  and  nearly  all  the  congestion  has  disappeared. 

This  case  may  be  considered  as  practically  healed,  but  many 
months  must  elapse  in  order  to  see  whether  the  deep-seated  germs 
will  not  assert  themselves  again,  before  the  case  can  be  pronounced 
as  cured. 

IttO  Willton  Avenue 

NOTE — The  author  earnestly  solicits  all  monographs  and  articles  on 
this  subject  and  will  appreciate  any  that  may  be  received. 


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